The Colorado Avalanche have ran into their kyptonite once again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After the 4-2 loss in Game 7, Nathan MacKinnon didn’t mince words about him, Jared Bednar, and the rest of the team, who has was eliminated at the hands of Mikko Rantanen and the Dallas Stars. Dallas has now knocked them out for the second straight NHL postseason.
The Avalanche are widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced playoff teams in the NHL, however, there is one stat that continues to haunt them time and again. Colorado hasn’t won a Game 7 in 23 years, dragging an 0-7 record over that span in winner takes all playoff showdowns.
MacKinnon is arguably the best player in the league and he knows what it takes to hoist Lord Stanley in the playoffs. However, he was at a loss for answers and solutions after his former teammate, Rantanen, demolished him and the Avs with a hat trick in Game 7. Driven by Rantanen, the Stars rallied back from an 0-2 deficit in the third period to prevail by a score of 4-2.
The fact that Dallas was missing defenseman Miro Heiskanen and forward Jason Robertson makes the comeback loss all the more discouraging—especially with Mikko Rantanen ending their season. ‘The Moose’ made it clear he didn’t want to leave Denver, and fans cannot help but wonder how things might have looked had he still been wearing the burgundy and blue jersey during the Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup with the Stars.
Nathan MacKinnon #29 of the Colorado Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Dallas Stars shakes hands after the Stars 4-2 win in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 03, 2025 in Dallas, Texas.
However, there is no turning back for Colorado now. Rantanen is staying in Dallas for the next 8 seasons, thus, Bednar and the Avs will have to find answers of their own. Although it’s not looking very positive based on MacKinnon’s postgame reaction.
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“They were missing their best defenseman and maybe their best forward. We still couldn’t beat them so, yeah, I don’t know what we’re gonna do,” a sincere Nathan MacKinnon stated postgame, via DNVR Avalanche. “Yeah, I don’t know. I’m in shock, to be honest.”
Written in the Stars
All the noise surrounding the Rantanen blockbuster deal, it’s faded into thin air now. There is no questioning who won that trade. Rantanen dismantled Colorado with a brutal performance in the series, in which he saved his best for the very end.
Rantanen registered 12 points in the series, leading the NHL in points in the playoffs, so far. However, he had been held scoreless through the first three meetings. He openly admitted he needed to make his presence felt, and he did just that.
Head coach Jared Bednar of the Colorado Avalanche looks on against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the United Center on January 08, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
During the last three games, Rantanen registered 11 points, including a hat trick and an assist in the win-or-go-home Game 7 at American Airlines Center. MacKinnon has seen firsthand how lethal of a forward Rantanen can be—and if anyone in the Avalanche organization had forgotten, the Finnish star delivered a powerful reminder with an unforgettable performance.
“It’s pretty shocking,” MacKinnon added, per NHL.com. “I felt like we were in total control, and Mikko, credit to him, he made some amazing plays. He was the difference-maker. He took over.”
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Dallas Stars: Their journey to Stanley Cup glory
Tough pill to swallow
Another premature Stanley Cup Playoffs elimination, and the star-studded Avalanche’s core is once again unable to look themselves on the eye after having their postseason’s hopes ripped apart by the Stars, led by their former teammate Mikko Rantanen.
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MacKinnon, Bednar, and everyone in the Mile High City will need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and regroup for the 2025–26 NHL season—determined to ensure they never feel this kind of heartbreak again.
